But the Irish Sun can now reveal that Rory cleared the debt with a one-off payment of €17,892.63 to Start Mortgages on December 19, 2016 and went on to make payments of €209.80 in December 2016, and in January, February, March and April of last year.

The 58-year-old said he shelled out the cash so Twink could forget her money worries and concentrate on a new vintage clip show they were working on for RTE.

But Rory stopped making the payments on the plush gaff after he pulled out of the TV project — for which, he told Irish Sun, he was working on unofficially and was not being paid — in May of last year.

The telly star, who played Rory Brown in Brendan O’Carroll’s hit television and stage show Mrs Brown’s Boys, said he never expected the money back and had planned to never speak about the dig-out — until Twink, when speaking to us, branded him ‘Rory The Rat’.

Rory told the Irish Sun: “I never wanted to say anything about the mortgage payments in public. You are the first person I have told about this.

“I never wanted or expected the money back either. I did it so Twink wouldn’t have to worry about money while she was working on this TV project with me.

“I am coming out and talking about this now because I want to clear my name.

“I never wanted to say anything about this but when she said recently about her TV show getting going that ‘this shows the good guys win’ — the cheek of her saying the good guys win as if I am one of the bad guys? I’m not!”

Contacted by the Irish Sun and asked to comment on the claim that he had covered her arrears as well as five months of payments as a favour to her, Twink said: “No favours with Rory . . . EVER. It’s all business. He is strictly a ‘bread head’!”

Slips Rory provided proving he paid off some of Twink’s mortgage for Idrone House

And Rory told us: “If I was a ‘bread head’ I wouldn’t have paid her mortgage arrears.”

Back in December 2016, when he had paid off €17,892.63, as well as a mortgage payment of €209.80 for that month, he claimed the panto legend — real name Adele King — had praised and thanked him for saving her life, her home and her career.

Barrister Shaula Connaughton-Deeny told Judge Jacqueline Linnane that repossession proceedings against King and her estranged husband, David Agnew — who, the court was told, had not been living at the property — could be struck out.

Counsel confirmed Twink had paid off all mortgage repayment arrears of €17,892.63 as joint defendant Agnew had not been engaging with the bank.

When the bank issued proceedings against the couple, Ms Connaughton-Deeny told the court that it was owed about €250,000 overall, including the near €18,000 arrears.

Previously owned by a builder, the 300-year-old detached, five-bedroom home came on the market in 2000 with an asking price of IR£850,000.

Agnew moved out of the family home in 2004 after the couple ended their 21-year marriage.

In a previous interview, Twink had spoken of her emotional ties to her gaff, adding: “If I lose it, I will lose a lot. I worked all my life for every cent to make my home what it is. I put everything I had into it.

“I really don’t know how I can get out of this but I will try everything in my power to get through this.”

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Twink was a ratings winner for RTE over the years with telly hits including The Live Mike and Play The Game but she later criticised the broadcaster, saying: “If you look at how the BBC stuck with their women comedy actresses like Victoria Wood, RTE’s attitude to me is baffling. I just don’t get it.”

Happily, RTE is now set to recognise Twink’s talent and a new show featuring the panto queen is in the pipeline.

The production will feature Twink reviewing vintage clips of her comedy skits down through the years.